Kobe Bryant's Pilot already warned that he was " you are too low" moments before the fatal helicopter crash!
“Helicopter 7-2 Echo X-ray, you’re still too low for flight following at this time,” the controller tells Zobayan.
The pilot had been holding for 15 minutes while other flights were taking off under IFR, or instrument flight rules, and he requested the Special VFR clearance.
“Maintain Special VFR at or below 2,500 (feet)” the pilot confirms to the controller.
“Advise when you are in VFR conditions,” the controller radios to Zobayan at one point when the helicopter was at 1,400 feet.
The pilot then informs ATC that he is flying VFR at 1,500 feet and requests flight following from SoCal, which handles low-altitude traffic in Southern California.
Flight following is a service that air traffic control provides to pilots under VFR to improve their situational awareness and avoid collisions with other aircraft.
The controller asks Zobayan to squawk “ident,” which would allow him to identify the chopper’s transponder on the radar.
“You’re following a 1200 code. So you’re requesting flight following?” the controller asks, referring to the transponder code used while flying VFR.
Audio footage between the pilot and air traffic control reveals an attempt to guide the helicopter before fatally losing contact.
The Sun reports controllers told the pilot: "you are too low" just before the crash.
The term was used in reference to the controller no longer being able to read the radar, rather than the descent of the helicopter.
It is also reported the controller stated the helicopter had a 'go-around', a rare maneuver where an aircraft cancels its landing due to low visibility.
Flight radars show the helicopter circles around for 15 minutes and tried to turn before crashing.
Kobe's former pilot Kurt Deetz described the helicopter involved in the crash as being like a "limousine", with a strong safety record.
Deetz flew the NBA star between 2014 and 2016 and logged more than 1,000 hours with the Sikorsky S-76B that crashed.
He explained the tragedy was likely the result of bad weather rather than a technical fault, adding that when he heard the news his "heart sank".
He added the helicopter was in "fantastic" condition, comparable to a "limousine", and owned by a company - Island Express Helicopters - with a "very good maintenance program."
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